EUROPEAN UNION / On the Record: John Bruton

EUROPEAN UNION / On the Record: John Bruton

"EUROPEAN UNION
On the Record: John Bruton
Sunday, October 30, 2005

John Bruton, who oversaw a rapid period of growth in Ireland as its prime minister in the mid-1990s, is now the European Union's ambassador to the United States. A onetime political wunderkind who was elected to the Irish Parliament at age 22, Bruton is the point man for the EU's 25-member nations in Washington. He spoke recently to Chronicle editors and reporters on a range of issues including trade subsidies, global warming, the European social contract, the EU's rapid expansion and the 'optimism gap' between Chinese and Europeans. The following was edited for space and clarity. "